What Is the Cloud?

Introduction to cloud#

The scale of capital investment in the Amazon, Microsoft, and Google cloud physical computing infrastructure is monumental. Imagine the investment needed to build 200+ physical data centers with multiple redundant power and cooling systems featuring state-of-the-art physical security. These centers are resilient in the face of a natural disaster. Even then, we are just scratching the surface.

These data centers require one of the largest interconnected networks on the planet to link them together. All of that infrastructure won't function without vast amounts of power and cooling, preferably from sustainable sources. For example, Azure has been carbon-neutral since 2012 and is committed to being carbon-negative by 2030. When people talk about hyper-scale cloud, they are talking about the planet-scale operations of these cloud service providers.

Ever wonder what it would be like to visit one of these data centers? For example, to access an Azure data center, there are multiple levels of security we must go through. We must first request access to the data center and provide a valid business justification. If access is granted, when we arrive at the data center's permitter access point, we'd notice the panoply of cameras, tall steel fences, and concrete surrounding the perimeter. We'd verify our identity and pass to the building entrance. At the building entrance, we'd be greeted by security officers who would once again verify who we were using two-factor authentication with biometrics. Upon passing biometric scanning, they'd guide us to the specific section of the data center where we have been approved to operate. As we proceed to the data center floor, we'd pass in and out through a full-body metal detection screening to ensure that we don't leave with anything we shouldn't. Security at these data centers is taken very seriously.

Still think this sounds like someone else's computer?

The physical infrastructure of cloud service providers is awe-inspiring. However, we should change our focus from the scale of cloud service provider operations to how cloud services are exposed to developers. As we mentioned initially, cloud service providers expose the functions of the cloud through APIs, which developers can use to manage infrastructure and applications running on the cloud. We can use these APIs to build applications that can leverage hyper-scale cloud infrastructure to become planet-scale.